Ataxia patients hospital Card

I may have to go into hospital. Nothing major just wisdom tooth.Has any one thought about a hospital card that you hand to the nurse. It should have Diagnosis: Ataxia. Physical:Things you can and cannot do and any additional information of importance.

Your doctor should have this info. Make sure whoever is doing your wisdom teeth knows you have ataxia. They should pass it on to the nurses. Just make sure they are aware of it.

I had back surgery a few years ago that was outpatient but they kept me overnight because of the anesthesia and the ataxia. Preplan with your doctor. Some things may need to be adjusted because of the ataxia.

I’m curious. What information should I have on hand before an operation? My ataxia definitely increased following operations in 2014. JD

As a matter of course the Consultant/Doctor in charge of any current procedure should have all relevant information in your file. Invariably this doesn’t always go according to plan. I was in hospital myself, and had to explain my mobility problems to staff.
Since there are so many diseases and conditions it’s highly unlikely that as a matter of course ward staff have knowledge of something as rare as ours. So, if you have a particularly troublesome symptom, or are specifically worried about you’re reaction to a procedure, don’t hesitate to voice your concerns. xB

Hi all,

Though we should not need any sort of ID card listing our ailments, I did have one until I recently lost it (going to redo one). The card I made simply had my photo and some contact info on one side. The other side gave a brief description of my two conditions - ataxia and fibromyalgia and how they affect me.

The homemade card is / was useless for when visiting doctors / neurology team as they have my records on file. The card came into good use (along with local council disability registration card) when I was accused of using my mobility unduly as there was (as someone complained) “Nothing wrong with him [me]”. I showed both cards to the officer (dealing with issue) and he immediately dismissed the issue. I suspect the ‘ataxia’ card could be useful to emergency services if for some reason I needed help and a quick way to explain my health issues.

Here in the UK
well I am championing the Electronic Health Records and also the patient passport, which will make sure that the right information at the right time